‘Drug use should not be a death sentence:’ Duluth community gathers to honor those lost to overdose
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“August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day, so we are holding a vigil here to honor those we have lost and to remove the stigma and educate people on how to prevent an overdose,” said Harriet Chambers, the organizer of the event at Sober Squad, a group of people who support each other in recovery. “We need to see addicts as human beings.”
Earlier in the day, Mayor Emily Larson issued a proclamation in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, stating that Duluth had “198 overdosed people, with 20 of the overdoses resulting in loss of life”.
Alicia Byrd of Duluth creates a purple handprint with paint on a canvas during a vigil with live music, food, community speakers and other resources for Overdose Awareness Day in Lincoln Park on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 in Duluth. Sober Squad, Harm Reduction Sisters, Vivent Health, and Recovery Alliance Duluth were organizations that hosted the event. Clint Austin / Duluth News Tribune
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 1,008 Minnesota residents died from a drug overdose in 2020.
“I’ve lost a lot of friends to overdose,” said Chambers. “To know that we could have done something hurts me deeply. So often these lives have disappeared in silence. You don’t know they’re gone until you just don’t see them the next day, a heavy stigma associated with drug use that we don’t find out about until it’s too late. “
On Tuesday, the crowd shared stories of their experiences with overdose and recovery. Jess Nickila of the Duluth Police Department, Coordinator of the Drug Use Response Team, shared the story of her recovery and her father. Both she and her father used opioids a little over a decade ago.
“I saw my father fade away,” said Nickila. “I witnessed the second wave of the opioid epidemic in my home. My father switched from the recipes for OxyContin and Percocet to the illegal forms.
She has been in long-term recovery since 2011 and her father has not used any opioids in the past decade. Since her recovery, she has dedicated her life to helping others recover. She joined the Duluth Police Department in 2018 as an opioid program technician. Her job was to reach out to overdose survivors for access to services. The basis of the program is geared towards peer recovery.
Jess Nickila, Senior Peer Recovery Specialist at Duluth Police Department, speaks with live music, food, community speakers and other resources during a vigil for Overdose Awareness Day in Lincoln Park on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 in Duluth . Sober Squad, Harm Reduction Sisters, Vivent Health, and Recovery Alliance Duluth were organizations that hosted the event. Clint Austin / Duluth News Tribune
“Peer recovery saved my life,” said Nickila. “I’ve seen someone in recovery to fully understand that recovery is possible.”
Nickila also gave an update on DPD’s addiction treatment program. The team has grown exponentially in their time thanks to federal grants.
“So yeah, I want to say that Duluth is taking real steps to address the opioid epidemic and drug use disorder in our community. Unfortunately, it’s still not enough,” Nickila said.
Another organization working to reduce the harm from drug use in the community is the Harm Reduction Sisters. The organizer Sue Purchase has been working in various communities since 1996 and in Duluth for the past two years in the field of harm reduction.
“We provide syringe services, narcan sales and training,” said Purchase. “Supplies needed and needed for the prevention of HIV, endocarditis, hepatitis C and other public health problems related to drug use.”
Sue Purchase, Executive Director of Harm Reduction Sisters, speaks with live music, food, community speakers and other resources during a vigil for Overdose Awareness Day in Lincoln Park on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 in Duluth. Sober Squad, Harm Reduction Sisters, Vivent Health, and Recovery Alliance Duluth were organizations that hosted the event. Clint Austin / Duluth News Tribune
Purchase and her team are delivering clean syringes to cities in northern Minnesota. She said her services are provided with no questions asked, no identification information, and no judgments.
“Drug use shouldn’t be a death sentence,” Purchase said. “We have to see that people take drugs that way – people.”
With every syringe delivery, Purchase also provides its customers with Narcan doses that are administered in the event of an overdose.
“I get them to take it even if they say they aren’t using opioids. Better to have it and not need it than not to have it when you start OD, ”Purchase said. “These are preventable deaths and more needs to be done to ensure people are informed and are getting the supplies they need.”
Biodegradable balloons were released during the event in honor of those who lost their lives to an overdose.
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